Several geophysical and petroleum engineering operations include technologies utilizing energy directed at formations including ground penetrating radar, oil well logging, petroleum exploration, and tertiary recovery. Tertiary recovery may be used to generate or increase the production of additional hydrocarbons from a formation by stimulating the formation. A variety of techniques exist in which the formation is subjected to electrical or thermal stimulation, which allows for the additional production of hydrocarbons. Examples include the stimulation of the formation using microwave radiation, placement of electrodes in the formation in order to stimulate production using electrical currents, and location of a thermal element within a wellbore to elevate the formation temperature. The efficiency of energy directed at a formation may be determined by the penetration depth of the energy, which may be limited by frequency dependent dispersion, scattering, and water content of the formation.